Whenever I tell someone that I am a communications student majoring in public relations, I get a single reaction in many different flavors. Most of the time, it involves someone telling me that I am wasting my money on a useless degree or wishing me luck in finding a job any time soon after graduating from college. Despite the variety of unsolicited commentary and advice I receive, public relations is truly an important profession and crucial to the success of an individual or company. If you don’t believe me, just take a quick look at some of the past few weeks’ headlines.
If you did not know already, public relations is defined by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) as, “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” In layman’s terms, it is ensuring that people know about your client and know what your client as doing in addition to managing your client’s public image. At face value, this seems like a simple job. However, public relations is a complex field that requires extensive knowledge and a wide array of skills. If you find yourself questioning the importance of public relations prowess, just ask Pepsi, United Airlines, or Sean Spicer how they feel.
Relating directly to the parties mentioned above, a public relations professional’s crisis communication skills are essential to the maintenance of image during times of public scrutiny. If one’s skills are lacking in this department, the results of a controversy can go from bad to dire in a matter of hours with just how fast news spreads nowadays.
For example, United Airlines has faced public backlash after an incident in which a passenger was removed from an overbooked flight using excessive force. The passenger, a doctor, who was attacked was requested to leave the flight but refused to do so as he had patients waiting for him at his destination. Subsequently, videos of the confrontation taken from multiple angles were distributed online, essentially destroying the public image of United Airlines and leading to multiple calls for boycotts. The incident in question occurred in the evening and the video in addition to #UnitedAirlinesMottos spread like wildfire on social media throughout the night, allowing for irate customers and social media users to take control of the entire narrative.
This is not the only public relations debacle that took the media and the internet by storm. Pepsi released an advertisement containing imagery of what appears to be a Black Lives Matter protest starring Kendall Jenner. The commercial received backlash for trivializing the current political discourse, protests, and police brutality. Sean Spicer also had a public relations gaffe the other day when he falsely claimed in a press conference that “Hitler … didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons,” when comparing him to the current Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad.
All of these public relations blunders are incredibly harmful to the people and companies involved and thus have negative financial effects on those involved. It takes quick and well-thought action from a trained professional to smooth what could be a devastating blow to a company or individual. So before anyone criticizes the study and practice of public relations, remember that these fiascos are a result of poor public relations tactics and that if you do you study hard and do your job as a public relations professional well, the degree that you are earning will never be useless or a waste of time.
